DRUMMONDVILLE, Q.C. — After a four-season hiatus, the stars of the Super DIRTcar Series are heading north of the border for three nights of action-packed racing.
The Beasts of the Northeast will take over Autodrome Drummond on Monday, July 31, in a 75-lap, $7,500-to-win, showcase followed by a 75-lap, $10,000-to-win, showcase that will grant the victor a starting spot in Super DIRT Week 51.
Then, the series will close out the Canadian swing at Brockville-Ontario Speedway on Wed., Aug. 2, in a 75-lap, $7,500-to-win, showcase.
With five different winners in the last five series races and the unknowns associated with returning to Canada, the series could be on track for a potential streak of eight different winners in eight races.
Here are the top storylines to follow:
TAKING THEIR TURN
The three members of the 2023 Rookie class – all from Quebec – will get their turn to showcase their talent in front of their home fans. Mathieu Desjardins, of Yamaska, Q.C., Steve Bernard, of Granby, Q.C., and Felix Roy, of Napierville, Q.C., will have the spotlight turned on them as the series returns to their home track for the first two nights of the swing.
Of the three Rookie of the Year contenders, Desjardins and Bernard have major track victories at Autodrome Drummond. Desjardins won in a Sportsman in 2015 and a Big Block Modified in 2021. Bernard won in a 358 Modified in 2017. And of the two, Desjardins has a Super DIRTcar Series win, having won at the World of Outlaws World Finals in 2022.
In series points, Bernard sits 14th, Roy 15th and Desjardins 16th. A home track visit could be the boast they need to turn around their season.
Joining his fellow Quebec competitors at Autodrome Drummond will be two-time Autodrome Drummond track champion Francois Bernier, of St. Hyacinthe, Q.C. He’ll run both nights in the No. 57 Big Block Modified for Paul St-Sauveur.
IN PURSUIT
One of the most successful Canadian drivers in series history, Mat Williamson, of St. Catharines, Ont., will continue his hot pursuit of current points leader Matt Sheppard when the Super DIRTcar Series returns to his native soil. Williamson will look to chip into the 63-point deficit with three top notch performances. He scored a DIRTcar 358 Modified Series win at Brockville-Ontario Speedway in October 2018 but has yet to record a victory in his Big Block at either Brockville or Autodrome Drummond.
The Buzz Chew Racing driver will look to change that this time around with potentially his fourth win of the championship season.
NOT LETTING UP
Nine-time and defending series champion Matt Sheppard has held a strong lead in the points battle for most of the season, currently leading Mat Williamson by 63 points. The Waterloo, N.Y. driver is no stranger to the first stop on the Canadian swing, with six career wins at the Drummondville, Q.C. track. He’ll have two consecutive nights to battle for a seventh track win and third of the season.
However, at Brockville Ontario Speedway, he’ll be on the hunt for his first career series win there.
CONSISTENCY IS KEY
Aussie Peter Britten has put himself into championship contention with a season full of consistent finishes. His most recent was a third-place finish at his home track Land of Legends Raceway on July 19 – his fifth top-five finish – helping him maintain his hold on third in series points (30 points back from Williamson and 93 back from Sheppard).
Britten has yet to score a victory at either Canadian track but has five top-five finishes at Autodrome Drummond on his record and notched a runner-up finish at Brockville Ontario Speedway in 2018. A win at either track for the Britten this week would be his first series win of the season.
SIX IN A ROW?
The Super DIRTcar Series is on a streak of five different winners in the last five races – Chris Hile at Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Matt Sheppard at Orange County Fair Speedway, Anthony Perrego at Big Diamond Speedway, Mat Williamson at Weedsport Speedway, and Tim Fuller at Land of Legends Raceway. And its return to Canada could keep that streak alive.
With the series returning to the tracks for the first time in four season, several Canadian stars eager to make the most of their experience at the two tracks, and the series’ competition tighter than ever, fans may see a new winner each night.
With the series, drivers like Peter Britten, Tim Sears Jr., Jimmy Phelps, Max McLaughlin, Larry Wight and more are still searching for their first win of the season.